Chapter 181 - 17: Chase and Escape

Chapter 181: Chapter 17: Chase and Escape

The candlelight flickered.

Its orange-red glow illuminated a dark figure, outlining a sleek silhouette of interwoven light and shadow.

It was a tall man.

He had no demonic features, and aside from his excessively handsome face, he looked like an ordinary human.

But Lilia knew he wasn’t.

He was... a High-level Demon.

"We meet for the first time."

The man studied her for a moment before speaking with a hint of a smile, "The Lord of the Red River Territory, Miss Lilia."

Lilia: "...Has anyone ever told you that trespassing in someone’s home without permission is incredibly rude?"

"My apologies, my apologies. It was thoughtless of me."

The man smiled, his thin lips parting to reveal the corner of a chillingly sharp fang. "As compensation..."

His crimson eyes stared intently at her. "Allow me to introduce myself."

"My name is Gersas."

"I am the master of that stupid dog who offended you earlier."

Lilia’s heart skipped a beat.

The moment she first saw him, she had a faint inkling of his identity. But hearing him say the name himself still felt unbelievable.

Demon Lord Gersas.

In Lilia’s mind, this was a character who had died long ago.

But now, she was seeing him alive.

’Is it because of the unique nature of the Spirit Realm?’

’Or is it because this playthrough started much earlier than the previous two?’

’Or perhaps...’

’...the manuscript’s contents were fabricated, and this powerful Lord never died at all?’

All sorts of thoughts churned in Lilia’s mind.

She kept her composure, but she secretly took half a step back, preparing to flee at a moment’s notice.

So far, the man’s attitude had been polite and kind, but Lilia had no intention of negotiating with him further.

She sensed danger from him.

And... killing intent.

"Please, don’t be nervous."

The man wore a smile.

He was very handsome, with a sleek facial structure and refined features. His dark red eyes were like rubies in the night, giving off a mistaken impression of nobility and elegance.

Especially when he smiled.

It was as if he possessed a demonic Charm that could lure one into an abyss.

"I have no intention of harming you."

He said.

"This time, I’ve only come to confirm one thing."

He paused, taking a step forward. "Tell me, are you human?"

Lilia took a step back in response, her nerves taut. "Can’t you tell whether I’m human or not?"

The Demonic Qi on her body was so dense it was practically overflowing.

If she were human, there would hardly be any Demons left in the entire Spirit Realm.

The man chuckled. "My apologies, that was a poor choice of words."

"Let me rephrase."

The moment he finished speaking.

The next second, a low, magnetic voice suddenly sounded right next to Lilia’s ear. "Were you... once human?"

Lilia’s pupils contracted.

’This guy...!’

Without a moment’s hesitation, she turned and fled!

「Outside the house.」

The maid hadn’t gone far; she was standing guard by the door.

She knew, of course, that with Lilia’s strength, she didn’t need her protection.

But Lilia was the best Lord she had ever had the fortune to serve.

There were no sudden beatings or curses.

She wouldn’t suddenly tear at her clothes.

Nor did she have any of those strange and twisted habits.

After living through what felt like an eternity of hell, this new, orderly, and relaxed life often left her feeling a little bewildered.

’For the sake of the wonderful Lady Lilia!’

’I have to work even harder!’

As she was thinking this, the maid suddenly sensed a flicker of Magic Power behind her.

Just as she turned, the luxurious and magnificent lord’s residence suddenly exploded from within. Sharp fragments of stone shot out in all directions like cannonballs, one grazing her cheek and leaving a bloody gash.

Before her astonished eyes, the fleeing Lilia abruptly halted her forward momentum.

’...Tch.’

Lilia looked down at the maid, who was frozen in place below.

It wasn’t just her in the way; it was countless subjects of the Red River Territory.

Among Demons, the class hierarchy was distinct.

High-level Species wouldn’t even acknowledge Low-level Demons as being the same species.

If they got in that guy’s way, he would undoubtedly crush them without a second thought.

Like squashing a swarm of ants.

Gale-force winds swirled at her feet. Lilia decisively changed direction, setting her sights on the least populated area in her territory.

—The Red River.

Two figures, one chasing and one fleeing, quickly vanished into the distance.

Only after their figures were no longer visible did the maid, left behind, finally snap out of her shock.

She thought she had just seen...

...a large patch of blood staining the hem of Lady Lilia’s clothes.

Bright red blood was flowing from her chest, staining half of her robes.

’Could it be, Lady Lilia...?’

’...is injured?!’

...

Brilliant flames burned in the air, like blossoming fireworks.

「A moment later.」

A small, dark figure burst from the center of the fireworks. Her once-neat clothes were now scorched black, revealing a body covered in wounds beneath.

Lilia flipped backward and landed, not daring to pause for even a second before she continued to run.

’He’s too strong.’

In the short two-kilometer distance from her residence to this spot, she had been forced to clash with the man behind her three times.

Once, her chest was pierced through.

Another time, her Achilles tendon was severed.

And then there was this time. She hadn’t suffered any external injuries, but she felt as if her internal organs were on fire.

If not for her extremely high Fire Element Affinity, which allowed her to barely suppress the searing flames, she would probably be writhing on the ground in agony, completely unable to fight back.

Her Demonic Qi circulated continuously, repairing the potentially fatal wound in her chest.

Lilia gasped for breath, the aftereffects of her severe injuries showing themselves without reserve.

She could feel it...

’This body... has reached its limit.’

’The next clash will likely be my last.’

Lilia gritted her teeth. No longer wasting energy to guard against an attack that could come from behind at any moment, she dashed forward at full speed.

The surrounding scenery flew backward at a speed hard to discern with the naked eye. Suddenly, a fence appeared in Lilia’s field of vision.

It was the fence Lilia had personally overseen the construction of, at the location Ronan had provided.

Normally, this area should have been heavily guarded. But because of Hammond’s sudden attack, Lilia had taken every soldier she could muster to the battlefield to be safe.

Now, it conveniently aided her escape.

And it would prevent any additional casualties.

「From behind.」

The familiar fluctuation of Magic Power pursued her relentlessly.

It was another attack. Based on her previous experience, dodging was impossible.

Lilia had no intention of dodging, either.

She planted her foot, pivoted, and faced the tyrannical wave of Magic Power as it crashed into her.

Lilia felt a dull thud in her chest, as if every bone in her body had been crushed.

She used the momentum to leap backward, the immense force sending her crashing down inside the fenced area.

「On the ground.」

Under the impact of the Magic Power, intricate patterns suddenly lit up.

When the man arrived, this was the scene that greeted him.

—In the center of a multicolored glow, the blood-soaked girl barely managed to prop up her broken body. She looked up and gave him a brilliant smile.

Her eyes crinkled, brimming with mirth, but deep within their dark pools lay an unconcealable killing intent.

"If you’ve got the guts, then keep chasing me, you bastard."